Dairy goat breeds in Australia

The Saanen

Saanens in
Australia began as improvements on settler goats were made by the
Department of Agriculture in New South Wales (NSW) importing two bucks
and several does of the breed. The imports came from France and
Swiszerland and were located on the Experimental Farm at Nyngan, NSW.
The imports were good quality animals and produced excellent milking
stock. A further two bucks were added to the Nyngan herd in 1929.

At around the same time Saanens from England were imported into
Queensland.

All the imported goats had a long term influence on the breed,
building up a large breeding pool of high quality animals.

The Toggenburg

The Toggenburg
originated in Switzerland where its breeding was strictly regulated for
purity and type. It was widely exported and has a presence in many
countries, including the Australia, Great Britain and the United States
of America. When imported into Britain the Pure Toggenburg was
maintained by some breeders while others used selective outcrossing to
develop a larger animal. Where the Pure Toggenburg had a short, dished
face and well developed fringes of hair the British Toggenburg had
shorter hair and a longer face. It also had more colour variation,
ranging from light fawn to dark chocolate.

Between 1947 and 1953 Australia imported six bucks and fourteend
does, some in kid. Six more bucks and three does were born from these
does. Of these imports, four were Pure, while the remainder were
British Toggenburgs.

The British Alpine

The
British Alpine
was developed in Great Britain from Sedgemere Faith, a doe found in the
Paris Zoo in 1903. Although the British Alpine type existed prior to
her discovery, she had great influence on the breed. The first type
standard was drawn up in Britain in 1919 after sufficient true to type
stock existed. The British Alpine was added to the British Goat Society
herd book in 1926.

The first British Alpines were imported into Australia in 1958,
although the breed was slow to establish itself due to the extremely
limited gene pool. Crossbreeding with Saanens and Toggenburgs carrying
a recessive black gene enabled the breed to be established.

The Anglo Nubian

The Anglo Nubian
was developed in Great Britain using Middle Eastern and Indian stock,
firstly with existing native goats and later by crossing with the
imported Swiss breeds. The Middle Eastern breeds were Nubians from
Egypt and Zariby from Eritrea, while the Indian breeds were the Jumna
Pari and Chitral. Thses exotic breeds were of differing build and
appearance, but all distinctly different to the British goats with the
crossbred offspring showing distinct 'Nubian' characteristics.

The Anglo Nubian was well established in Britain prior to the
introduction of the Swiss breeds, with goats appearing at the first
goat show in 1875.

The Australian Melaan

The Australian
Melaan takes its name fron its colour and what is thought to be its
origin in a Saanen buck imported in 1943. The 'Mel' is from melanin or
black pigment and the 'aan' is from Saanen. Thundersley Vanquisher,
though white, carried colour and is famous for producing prize-winning
Saanen, Toggenburg and British Alpine kids. He also produced black
offspring that were mated with British Alpines. It is thought that
Vanquisher carried the black gene from the black dairy breeds the
Spanish Granada or Murcian.

Over the years there have been Toggenburgs and British Alpines
unrelated to Vanquisher who have produced solid black kids.

The Australian Brown

All
brown goats had appeared from time to time in dairy herds in Australia,
but it was not until the 1990s that some breeders decided to keep them
and try to establish them as a breed. Browns had come from Saanen,
Toggenburg and British Alpine backgrounds. At the beginning of the
1990s all-brown stock were to be found in three states in sufficient
numbers to enable breeders to exchange stock and begin a breeding
programme.

In Victoria a large enough herd was developed for brown to brown
matings to occur. These matings produced consistent type and colour and
it was determined that the solid coat was recessive to white Swiss
markings.

The Nigerian Dwarf

Small
goats from West Africa (the West African Dwarf) and/or the
Southern Sudan were the origins of the Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat. Upon
importation the Dairy Goat Society of
Australia in May 2016 recognised the Nigerian Dwarf breed by providing
for them a standard and a register in their Herd Book.

The first genetic material imported into Australia was by Michael
and Ulrike Garwood (First Fleet) who imported embryos and semen in
early 2014 and Paul Hamilton (Semtech Animal Breeding Service) who
imported semen in 2015. The Nigerian Dwarf produces an average of 1.8
litres of milk at
their peak with the maximum being 4 litres for exceptional does.

The LaMancha

The most
obvious distinguishing feature of the Lamancha is the very
short ears. The name arose from a shipment of short eared goats that
were sent
to the Paris World’s Fair for exhibition in 1904. The inscription on
the shipment was unclear, but “LaMancha, Cordoba, Spain” could be read
and the name became the accepted term for the American version of the
goat as well.

Characteristics that make it a good choice for a dairy goat and the
most popular dairy goat in America are good quality milk with high
butterfat and protein, and the ability to milk through quite well. They
are relatively easy to keep, in both home or commercial settings and
above all, they are lovable, easy going and cooperative.

The Alpine

Alpine or
French Alpine goats were first brought to North America in
1922. All modern goats registered as purebred Alpines in
the United States are directly descended from these 22 animals. The
Alpine is now amongst the
most numerous of the breeds in America.

In May 2016 the Dairy Goat
Society of Australia approved and provided a Standard and registration
under the name of “Alpine”. The first kids by artificial insemination
were born in November 2014
and later accepted into the register. Breed semen having been available
for just three years at writing (2016) finds the development of the
breed in its infancy with as yet a small number of breeders beginning
to assist in that development.